The People’s Unity Day in Russia

On November, 4th the People’s Unity Day was celebrated in the Russian Federation. Official holiday’s activities were held all over the country. Besides, ultranationalist parties organized rallies and marches in many cities, while anti-Fascist activists were holding counter actions. Despite the ban on the Russian March, it took place in Moscow. On that day several dozens of people were detained in Moscow, including journalists. (07-NOV-06)

Text: HRH/Moscow, by Yanina Savenko. Sources: svobodanews.ru, newsru.com, rian.ru

Inspite of the fact that  the Moscow Central Administration banned the Movement Against Illegal Immigration and other organizations to conduct the “Russian March” its organizers decided to join the authorized rally of “Rodina” and “People’s Will” parties. More than 2000 ultranationalists took part in the rally. After the rally a column of demonstrators marched to a metro station shouting nationalist slogans: “Russia is for Russians!”, “Moscow is for Moscovites!” , “Russian order on Russian soil” and “Kondopoga is a hero city”. According to State Duma deputy Dmitry Rogozin, police detained about 300 persons, who planned to take part in the unauthorized Russian March. Besides, a few journalists were detained before the rally began – “REN-TV” film crew and a “Gazeta.ru” reporter. On the same day some strangers attacked and beat reporter from “Mir Novostej” newspaper Maria Runova in the center of the capital.

Anti-Fascist activists held a rally
On Saturday the rally “For the Russian Federation without Fascism” took place in Moscow on Bolotnaya square. About 1000 people participated in the rally. The action was organized by the Russian Anti-Fascist Front Board, comprising of Ludmila Alekseeva (the Moscow Helsinki Group), Nikita Belykh (“Union of Right Forces”), Andrey Babushkin (“Committee for Civil Rights”, “Yabloko” party), Alexander Ryklin (“Everyday Journal”) and Oleg Orlov (human rights center Memorial). They invited to join the rally parties, which had signed the “Agreement on counteraction to nationalism, xenophobia and religious hatred” in February 2006, as well as deputies of the Moscow Duma, the State Duma and Mayor Yury Luzhkov. They adopted a resolution, in which they stressed a real threat of Fascism in the Russian Federation and accused authorities of evident protection of Fascist ideas. They also stressed that they shared the slogan “Russia is for all nations”.

In regions…
Ultranationalists planned to hold the Russian March all over the country, but in many cities local authorities banned such actions.  Despite the ban of local authorities, the Russian March took place in Novosibirsk. About 200 people marched along a central avenue in the city. Meanwhile police prevented an attempt to conduct the Russian March in Blagoveschensk of Amursky region. On the eve of the 4th November leader of Amursky office of “Union of Russian People” organization Igor Terekhov declared that “the Russian March would take place despite the ban of local authorities”. As a result, two organizers of the March and representatives of “Union of Russian people” were detained. The Russian March was also held in Vladivostok. In spite of the fact that during all the week mass media was reporting about a ban on the March, organizers of the action showed journalists an official permit of the mayor of the city. A column of ultranationalists with flags marched on a main street of the city, escorted by police. They were shouting nationalist slogans.

According to the Law pro-Fascist rallies can’t be forbidden
The “Right March ”, which took place in Moscow a year ago, became a real Fascist action – slogans inciting ethnic hatred, shouting “Heil Hitler”, open appeals to discrimination on ethnic basis, resounding from a rostrum. The pro-Fascist Movement Against Illegal Immigration has been freely acting all the year, Fascist web-sites have been publishing “lists of enemies of the Russian people” and instructions concerning organization of violent actions in the streets. Feeling a real threat and realizing that today such demonstrations are fraught with serious consequences for authorities and the state, mayors of several Russian cities declared that they wouldn’t allow nationalist marches and rallies. However, Russian legislation doesn’t give the federal officials right to forbid Russian citizens to hold mass actions, if a ban is based on impressions, forecasts and ideas of these federal officials (even if they are absolutely right).  So at present in the Russian Federation the extremely alarming and abnormal situation has been formed. From one hand, there is a direct evidence of Fascist attacks in the streets and we witness a real threat of Neo-Nazis pogroms in the country. From another hand, local authorities began to struggle against that serious threat using unlawful measures which are contrary to the Russian legislation. As a result, the struggle against Fascism got an ambiguous status.